Help!! I strongly suspect my 75 g tank of leaking

[pinkertd]

I second that on check the HOB again. You'd be surprised how much can leak a drop at a time. What type of HOB is it? I've had a new HOB with a hairline crack drip an inch out of my 75G before I found the problem. And I've had them not sitting properly on the tank lip, and too much added filter media causing the water to be higher on one side of the filter than the other, circulating inside the HOB container just enough to ripple one drop at a time over the right backside edge.

 

[A. Nonymous]

It's not the HOB. The filter actually hangs inside the tank. There's nothing more than a small lip on the outside. I did discover an air hose that was leaking water, but that's not the cause of my problem. I found it last night and the floor is not wet at all in the area of the hose, but is soaked 4-5 feet from it. The hose is on one side of the tank. The wet spot expands the entire length of the tank. I let it sit overnight as it was a slow leak just to see if the hose was the cause. (I got rid of the leak there first of course.) The water level had dropped (I had taped it off last night.) and the area I had cleaned was wet again. It appears I still have a leak, but I have no clue as to where. I don't think I've got a lot of choice right now other than break the tank down completely. If nothing else I'll have to do that just to clean up the mess.

Fortunately, this tank was under construction and I'd already re-homed most of the fish. I've only got 3 neons and a rubber lip pleco in there. I'll put them in with my guppy breeding tank I guess.

 

[Rbishop]

Just curious, why was the air hose leaking water...sounds like a reverse siphon. I do recommend to break the tank down for a better look.

 

[Beaux]

tanks arent hard to reseal it just takes the time to do it n thats about a minimum of 2 days or so if ya do it right. if ya need help resealing gimme a shout ill tell ya all the DIY info, ive resealed several tanks usin several diferent methods. good luck, hope its sumthin else leakin.
Beaux

 

[A. Nonymous]

Just curious, why was the air hose leaking water...sounds like a reverse siphon. I do recommend to break the tank down for a better look.

I've got pressurized CO2 under the tank. This is the hose that goes from the CO2 tank to my diffuser. CO2 was turned off so it was leaking.

 

[pinkertd]

I don't see any other solution than to tear it down to figure it out. You can't take the chance of the tank busting at a crack or something. Please keep the thread updated with what you find.

 

[frigginchi]

A $2 check valve will prevent this.

I've got pressurized CO2 under the tank. This is the hose that goes from the CO2 tank to my diffuser. CO2 was turned off so it was leaking.

 

[A. Nonymous]

And I've got one I'm not using, but that's not my only problem. I've got a leak somewhere else in the tank. I'm just not sure where. I'm going to break the tank down and mothball it for now. I don't have time in my life to spend hours trying to figure out where the break is right now. I wish I did, but I don't.

 

[enthusiast]

i just found a 75 gal tank and stand on craigslist for $89, you may be better off scrappin the tank or sellin it cheaply for somebody else to deal with as far as finding and repairing the leak.

i live in an upstairs apartment and had a 55 gallon tank explode on me....while i was gone for the weekend...at 3 in the morning... yea. that was a highly unpleasant phone call

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Wow never hear an aquarium leaking in an area away from the tank as there is usually a telltale trail to follow. Nevertheless if the tank level is accounting for the water overnight, somehow it must be coming from the tank.

I would drain at least 50% of the water dry up the spill and try again one more time before emptying the tank in order to isolate that the spill is coming from the upper half or lower half. If you are the type that maintains a topped off tank, your leak could be from the top rim not the glass panels and can be resealed by removing and resealing the top trim without dismantling the tank or removing the fish as I have done it.

Other then that if its a corner leak you will have to dismantle and reseal. If its a leak between the glass panels, you'll have to dismantle that panel and reseal between the panels. You'll also have to do this if your not careful resealing a corner and accidentally breach the silicone between the glass panels.

However if your level dropped below the top trim line as opposed to still inside the trim line, the leak is probubly not the trim. A top trim becasue it overlaps the tank top inside to outside can act like a run away overflow box once a tiny breach in the silicon occurs and will siphon water up and over the rim from splashing and wave action inside the tank. It happened to me and I fix it.